The world now painted with darkness, I hastened my footsteps while quickly rechecking the things I needed in my knapsack.

Stifling my presence I thus made my way down the long corridor.

As what comes after this would be very important.

After some time of walking I finally made it outside the castle and into the back Gardens.

Thus thinking that the coast was now clear, I deliberately made my presence more visible as trying to silence one’s presence is really hard and I would need to demonstrate focus at all times.

Not using full 'stealth' halves the burden.

Well with my current limits.... I am not able to use this 'stealth' for a long period of time.

‘Now I just have to make my way towards the gate then ride a carriage carrying goods outside the castle then make sure to return until the next carriage entering the castle arrives.’

“Our young Sun where are you going?” Then as I was thinking this and that an annoyingly familiar voice whispered from behind, almost making me jump.

I soon turned around to see the annoying face of that bug looking a bit different though… did he shrink?

“Actually why are you like that? No, maybe it’s due to magic but the voice and the face don’t really match.” Criticizing this failure of a graduate magician, I scrunched my eyes as if I were looking at a cockroach.

Roaches don't exist here though, is it because this is an Otome Game? or a world based on it?

While my thoughts were swimming about, I soon heard the sound of a despairing voice.

“Ehhh?! but I say I did a pretty good job though...” Looking like he was hit by a thunderbolt due to shock the bug proceeded to sulk.

For a moment I forgot that he was still here, tsk.

“No. It’s only creepy, not a discovery of the century.” I thus kindly rebutted his claims and righteously humbled him.

“But I worked hard to show you a form you would be comfortable with…” After hearing him say this sentence a sudden wave of disgust flew through my body making me back away from him in an instant.

“Hardly, far from comfortable. As long as it is you, the word comfortable will not go through my head.” I said as I immediately voiced my complaints.

“But seeing as you’re speaking rather informally then that means my magic worked a bit right?” He then smiled looking all smug.

I soon froze for a bit after processing what he just said, but the stark difference of his form right now and the voice he was using to speak greatly distracted my thoughts. “Ugh… it’s really creepy no matter how I look at it… just please stop talking for a while.”

Maybe due to confusion and disgust I seem to switch between ‘formal' and 'informal’ language often as I speak to him.

I then turned around to leave as I have no time to waste, but was then stopped as he annoyingly pulled on my cloak.

“Wahhh please stay for a while longer our young Sun!” The bug then said in a pleading voice, it was so annoying that I could even briefly see a tear falling from one of his eyes.

“UGH! Let.go.of.me.please. I have no time to waste on something such as you.” Barely saying this without gritting my teeth fully I thus struggled to get away from his grip.

True that I can just slip away as his hands are only on the hem but I can’t just ditch the cloak!

He was clutching onto it too hard though that it was hard to get away.

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“Then! Can you suggest how I might be able to change my voice?”

Pausing a bit from struggling, I turned around looking a bit interested as I too wanted to share my self thought-out theories on magic to other people.

But then the sound of wind reached my ears seemingly reminding me.

I soon stopped myself from being overly excited as I answered him in a slight whisper using brief notations.

“I don’t know....Ugh, maybe by changing how people hear the [wind] coming out of your mouth would show some difference.”

“Hmm I see, then...ah..eu.. yoo... ehem… maybe… like now?” After some initial adjustments his voice changed almost instantly.

Now it had a slightly higher pitch and sounded like a proper voice of a child.

“How…. You know what, don’t bother me anymore I don’t have time for your games right now.”

I then turned to leave once again, now giving that bug the least bit of interest had fully flown out of the window.

As I had already wasted a lot of time, I was sure to make haste and started to make my way to the back gate connected to this Garden.

‘It seems that he already knows the solution to that problem and yet he still shamelessly 'asked' for me to help him? Did he just want to make fun of me? If so, that really ticks me off.’

“But you haven’t answered where you’re going yet… Ah! Our young Sun where are youuu??? Wahh did you just leave me??? Our young Sun…”

Hearing his annoying voice from the distance, veins soon started to bulge from my head making me look really pissed.

I know that getting mad won’t get me anywhere so I barely stopped myself from trying to squash that bug like magician.

Quickly stifling my presence I walked away from the annoying voice.

But just after a few steps the voice that was consistently yelling had suddenly disappeared like it had been cut off.

Feeling as if it was far too strange I then turned around.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The annoying mage had disappeared… it's like he just vanished.

In normal cases I would've said "Good riddance" but...

‘Something isn’t right’ I thought as I hastily went back to the spot where he was standing earlier.

Observing it closely, I quickly noticed a few drops of black liquid on the ground that seems to lead to a general direction…

‘That smells like ink and it seems to be the ones that mages like to use when inscribing scrolls... those ink infused with magic.’

I remembered reading about it briefly, apparently after it absorbs a certain amount of magic it would seem invisible.

‘And a faint smell of… sleeping poison?’

It’s a bit... different from the sleeping poison that they use as pesticide in this world though.

After reaching that thought I then closed my eyes as I began to slowly recall all the information and thus compiling all the clues given to me.

‘Wait… don’t tell me… did he got kidnapped??? But why? And as a mage wouldn’t he have sensed their presence using a [wide detection] spell or am I overestimating magic too much….’

But something was missing, their motive.

{“Our young Sun!”} Recalling our conversation earlier I remembered that his hair was silver in that child form he imitated…

‘If I look at it in hindsight... then... I was originally the one supposed to be kidnapped?! Ah damn it. I still have time, they won’t kill him as he is a hostage. ’

I mean I can't be all too surprised as I also would've mistaken the mage for the 1st prince if I weren't the said prince myself.

As I am the only child here in this palace that has platinum hair, no one would for sure realize the difference between the mage's current form to that of my own as silver and platinum does look the same from a far after all.

Though, I can't say for sure anymore.

It has already been a long time since any other noble, aside from the workers, had seen my looks.

A ton has already changed and the most notable was my hair color, if they had in the past praised my hair to be akin to 'Shining water on a crystalline glass surface' then right now all that would be heard is 'Dark as the abyss, far in the depths of a wide well'.

Clearly, the Crown Prince in the Otome game had platinum hair so... why was my hair turning black...?

'...Ugh focus, I have no time for such thoughts right now. Haaa… this guy really does bring me more trouble than he’s worth…'

Quickly following the trail I abandoned my plans for town.

I then rode a carriage while I killed off my remaining presence.

As the carriage seemed to follow the only trail and clue, I thus sat patiently.

I mean, riding a carriage would be way faster than a 4 year old kid running at full speed.

….

…

..

Trivia

[Macx Ink] are used in inscribing scrolls and other such objects, the ink would usually 'disappear' after absorbing a certain amount of natural mana.

[Natural mana] is mana or energy that can be found anywhere, it floats and passes like air yet mages can feel and at times 'see' it.

[Sleeping poison] it may be called sleeping poison but it is highly toxic to specific pests that comes in contact with the scent. It is harmless to humans though.